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THE PASSION 
FOR SOULS 

A PLEA FOR 

CHRISTIAN 
ENDEAVOR 

IN SOUL 
ii WINNING 



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EDWIN FOREST HALLENBECK 




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passion for ^ouls 

A PLEA FOR 

CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR 

IN 

SOUL WINNING 



Edwin Forrest Hallenbeck, D.D, 



"I am made all things to all men, that I 
might by all means save some." 



Chicago 

The Winona Publishing Company 

1904 

• • » ' ' > ' *s . .' '- 

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LIBRARY rtf OONGRFSS 
Two CoDies Rerelved 

JUL 8 1904 

a Oooyrfeht Entry 
CLASS Ou XXC. No. 
COPY B 



COPYRIGHT, 1904 

BY 

THE WINONA PUBLISHING COMPANY 







TO 

S^t f^%tx anD %^%zt 

IN WHOSE 

HUMBLE, CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN LIVES 

I HAVE A 

HERITAGE BETTER THAN GOLD 

THIS LITTLE BOOK IS INSCRIBED WITH 

GRATITUDE AND LOVE 



jfot;ei»otti 



The material in this little book con- 
sists in a series of addresses which have 
been delivered at various conventions 
and other gatherings of Christian people. 
They have been dedicated to God. He 
has been pleased to use them far beyond 
their merit. After repeated requests I 
have consented to their publication with 
the hope that they may help to kindle the 
^reat ^a^^mn in some hearts that are dull 
to the privilege and responsibility of seek- 
ing the lost. 

EDWIN FORREST HALLENBECK 

Binghamton, N. Y., 

May 10, 1904. 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 



INTRODUCTION 

Special emphasis is being 
placed in these days on the sub- 
ject of Personal Evangelism. 
While Christians are not sup- 
posed to lose sight of the general 
work, yet it is absolutely essential 
that every member of the church 
should realize that he is his broth- 
er's keeper, and owes him a debt 
which can only be paid when the 
subject of his personal salvation 
has been presented. 

That there is a growing interest 
in this whole subject is indicated 
by the fact that a greater demand 
IS being made to-day upon pub- 
lishers for books that emphasize 
the personal element in evangel- 
istic work than ever before. 

The author of *'The Passion for 
Souls'' is a minister of the gos- 
7 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

pel upon whose ministry God has 
graciously set His seal. He has 
from the beginning had the clear- 
est evidence that God intended 
him to preach the gospel of His 
grace. His remarkably success- 
ful pastorates have made him a 
marked man and he has in every 
way shown himself to be a work- 
man that needeth not to be 
ashamed. He has been a con- 
spicuous leader of the young 
people of the State of New York, 
and this book is the outgrowth of 
his own efforts in behalf of the 
unsaved, not only in the pulpit 
but out of it. Dr. Hallenbeck 
not only presents theories but he 
works them out, and every sug- 
gestion made on these pages the 
reader would do well to follow. 
J. Wilbur Chapman. 
New York City, N. Y 
8 



E^t ^Kumn ana ^U QTrtttrnpfid 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 



THE PASSION AND ITS 
TRIUMPHS 

The fires of ambition are glow- 
ing in many a heart to-day. Look 
out across the world's life and 
you will see men and women who, 
with splendid consecration of 
their powers, are pressing on 
toward some chosen goal. Many 
are possessed with the passion for 
gold. They are willing to give 
time and talent and comfort and 
health and home, and, alas, 
ofttimes eternity, if only they 
may fill their coffers with gain. 

Other lives are governed by the 
ambition for power. No sacrifice 
is counted too great if only they 
may grasp a scepter and fight their 
way to a throne. 
II 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

Still others display this con- 
suming zeal in effort to secure 
the treasures of knowledge. 

There are many worthy pursuits 
in life. There are many desires 
to which we may rightly cling, 
but there is only one passion for 
a blood-bought heart; that is, the 
all-controlling purpose which 
brought the Son of God from the 
skies and drove Him to the cross 
— the passion for the salvation of 
men. 

We have only to read our Bible 
with care to be assured that this 
is the divine plan for those who 
have been redeemed. 

Jesus said to the men whom He 
called from their nets, **Follow 
me and I will make you fishers of 
men.'' He announced His own 
mission in those immortal words, 
*The Son of Man is come to seek 

12 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

and to save that which is lost'*; 
then he said, "As the Father hath 
sent me, even so send I you/' 

In the book of Proverbs the 
Spirit tells us, *'He that is wise 
winneth souls.'' He put upon the 
pen of James those words which 
we have often considered, but 
whose meaning we have not be- 
gun to grasp, **He that converteth 
a sinner from the error of his way- 
shall save a soul from death and 
shall hide a multitude of sins." 

And as though this were not 
enough to stir the dullest heart, 
we have that marvelous promise 
in the prophecy of Daniel, 'They 
that be wise shall shine as the 
brightness of the firmament; and 
they that turn many to righteous- 
ness as the stars forever and ever. " 

This then is our mission; 
everything else is to have a 

^3 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

subordinate place. By word and 
by prayer and by life we are to 
point sin-cursed souls to the 
Lamb of God that taketh away 
the sin of the world. Henry 
Ward Beecher used to say, 
"Every Christian is to be a pilot- 
boat. He is to cruise about hard 
by the harbor of salvation watch- 
ing for the tempest-tossed soul, if 
perchance he may guide that soul 
into the harbor of life. *' 

But this must be more than a 
theory in the life. It must be- 
come a passion whose fires shall 
touch every word and every deed 
with warmth and power. 

"Give me only fire enough/' 
said Bernard Palissy, "and these 
colors shall be burned into this 
china. *' His neighbors said, "The 
man is mad.'' "More fire!" he 
continued to cry, "More fire!" 
14 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

The fire was kindled, the colors 
were fixed and the name of 
Palissy comes down through the 
years a synonym for determina- 
tion and success. This is the 
plea that I make with reference 
to our God - appointed work. 
''More fire, more holy, heavenly 
fire!'* Then shall the church be- 
gin a new era in her history; then 
shall the multitudes be won for 
Christ. 

The most inspiring literature 
for the church to-day, aside from 
revelation, is Christian biography. 
It will thrill the dullest heart and 
quicken the feeblest pulse to 
meditate upon the marvels which 
God hath wrought through those 
heroic souls that have been will- 
ing to count all things loss for 
Him. There is one thing that 
impresses us as we study. With 
15 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

one accord they were possessed 
with this passion for souls. 

It was this that caused Xavier 
to cry out from the deck of that 
Indian ship when a vision of un- 
told hardship and suffering came 
before his eyes as the price of 
turning isles and empires to 
Christ: *'AI1 this and more, O 
my God, if only I may win souls 
for thy kingdom.'' 

This was the ambition that im- 
pelled Wesley through his de- 
voted life, with its numberless 
ministries and self-denials. 

It was this that gave birth to 
the mighty zeal of Whitefield and 
sent him up and down the land 
and across the sea, a flaming torch 
for Christ. 

This passion burned in the 
breast of Rowland Hill. The 
people of Wotton called him a 
i6 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

madman. This was his defense: 
**While I passed along yonder 
road I saw a gravel pit cave in, 
and bury three men alive. I 
hastened to the rescue, and 
shouted for help until they heard 
me in the town almost a mile 
away. Nobody called me a mad- 
man then. But when I see de- 
struction about to fall on sinners 
and entomb them in an eternal 
mass of woe, and cry aloud, if 
perchance they may behold their 
danger and escape, they say I am 
beside myself; perhaps I am, but 
oh, that all God's children might 
thus be fired with desire to save 
their fellows!'' 

It was this that led Shaftsbury 
to turn aside from the attractions 
of a brilliant social life that he 
might minister to the riffraff of 
London. He literally turned his 
17 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

nights into day. He made him- 
self the companion of thieves and 
harlots that he might win souls 
for Christ. 

The passion drove Robert McAU 
from his beautiful English home 
to the slums of Paris. He was 
a cultured man, fond of art and 
letters, but he put these aside and 
took up his abode amid the moral 
destitution of the French metrop- 
olis that he might point wretched 
souls to the cross. Can you think 
of anything more pathetic or 
more beautiful than the picture 
of this man and his devoted wife 
opening their first hall in an 
empty shop, with a little organ, 
a table and a few chairs, and 
standing up before twenty-eight 
people to speak in broken French 
the message of a Saviour's love? 
But such fires of zeal could not 
i8 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

be extinguished. They burned on 
and on until scores of gospel 
halls had been opened to shine 
like beacons in the midst of this 
night of sin. 

Matthew Henry said: *'I would 
think it greater happiness to win 
one sou! for Christ than to gain 
mountains of gold and silver for 
myself.'' 

Doddridge cried: **I long for 
the conversion of souls more sen- 
sibly than for anything besides. 
Methinks I could not only labor, 
but die for it with delight." 

The sainted Brainerd, after 
years of such toil and sacrifice as 
have seldom been equaled, wrote: 
"I cared not where or how I lived 
or what hardships I went through, 
if only I could win souls for 
Christ. While I was asleep I 
dreamed of these things; when I 
19 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

waked my first thought was of 
this great work/' 

And what more shall I say? 
The time would fail me to tell of 
Edwards, and Finney, and Spur- 
geon, and Moody, and a host of 
others whose deeds were mighty 
because they were fired with this 
passion for souls. 

On the 6th of December, 1878, 
in the city of Poughkeepsie, 
N. Y., with a ''hallelujah'' upon his 
lips, one of the greatest soul win- 
ners of his century went home. 
John Vassar was a noble man. 
His attainments in the various 
departments of life where the 
world seeks success were not 
large. He had but one ambition 
which was sufficiently devel- 
oped to find recognition — that 
ambition was mighty enough to 
be called a passion. He lived 
20 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

for the salvation of men. He 
delighted to call himself '*the 
Shepherd's dog.'* "My busi- 
ness," he would say, **is not to 
preach, but to go over the hills 
to seek for the sheep that is 
lost.'' 

He had gone to a New England 
village for a season of special 
effort. The pastor met him at 
the station, and as they walked 
together toward the place where 
Mr. Vassar was to be housed, he 
said, pointing across the road, 
**There is the blacksmith's shop. 
Step in some day and speak to 
the smith about his soul." No 
sooner had he heard the words 
than John Vassar put down his 
traveling bag and started for the 
place. Ten minutes later the 
smith had released the foot of the 
horse he was shoeing and was on 

21 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

his knees behind the forge crying 
unto God for mercy. 

In another place Mr. Vassar 
was going from house to house 
distributing tracts and speaking 
with the people as opportunity 
came. An Irish woman heard of 
this strange man who was enter- 
ing the houses of the town with- 
out introduction, and she said, ''If 
he comes to my door he shall not 
be kindly treated.'' The next 
day, with no knowledge of this 
threat, he rang her bell. When 
she recognized him she slammed 
the door in his face. Nothing 
daunted, he sat upon the door- 
step and sang: 

**But drops of grief can ne'er repay 
The debt of love I owe ; 
Here, Lord, I give myself away ; 
'Tis all that I can do/' 

A few weeks later this woman 

22 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

sought admission to the member- 
ship of a Presbyterian church. 
As she made her confession be- 
fore the elders she could only say 
between her sobs, *' Twas those 
drops of grief. They burned 
themselves into my heart.*' 

This was the man's life. To 
win the lost was his meat. He 
sought no other joy. He was 
greedy for opportunities to point 
the unsaved to Christ. 

He was waiting for a friend in 
the parlor of a Boston hotel. A 
fashionably dressed lady was sit- 
ting across the room. Mr. Vas- 
sar went over and said, '^Excuse 
me, madam, but I feel that I 
must ask if you are trusting in 
Jesus Christ.'' Then followed a 
conversation which deeply im- 
pressed this butterfly of fashion. 
When, a little later, the woman's 
23 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

husband appeared, she told him 
of the strange man who had asked 
her so personal a question. He 
replied in anger, "Why did you 
not tell him it was none of his 
business?'' **0 husband/' she 
said, **if you had seen that expres- 
sion upon his face and heard the 
earnestness with which he spoke 
you would have thought it was his 
business." 

That was the secret. It was his 
business to win souls. He had 
no other mission in life. The 
passion was in his heart. 

And God expects us to make it 
our business. To neglect this is 
to fail at the vital point. Noth- 
ing else can atone for unfaithful- 
ness here. 

Oh, the possibilities of this holy 
passion! It will sweep away sel- 
fishness, and swallow up indiffer- 
24 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

ence, and push aside strife. It 
will lift our service out of the 
commonplace. It will cause the 
lifeless machinery in the church 
to move with power. 

In its trail a great multitude 
shall rejoice in the knowledge of 
Christ, whom to know is life 
eternal. 



^5 



A 



(Zr!)e l^umm auK ibt ^isl)toa;0 



27 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 



II 

THE PASSION AND THE 
HIGHWAYS 

*'A certain man made a great 
supper and bade many, and sent 
his servant at supper time to say 
to them that were bidden, Come, 
for all things are now ready; and 
they all with one consent began 
to make excuse/' 

Not a single guest in response 
to the invitation! What shall He 
do? Shall He give up the feast? 
Shall the preparations He has 
made come to naught? Certainly 
not. The guests must be secured. 
If the first effort fails, He will try 
again. If that proves inadequate, 
another method shall be em- 
ployed. At any cost the supper 
must be provided with guests. 
29 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

This is the determination of the 
Master of the house; it should be 
the spirit of every one who bears 
His name. We are called into 
fellowship with our Lord in the 
work of summoning souls to the 
feast. His word to us is the word 
of the Master to His servant, "Go 
out into the highways and hedges 
and compel them to come in.'' 
It is preeminently the message 
for to-day. It throbs with power. 
It ought to arouse every sluggish 
heart, and animate every feeble 
pulse, and quicken every faltering 
step. 

Let us meditate upon the words 
until they have taken hold on our 
lives. 

First, *'go''— a little word if 

measured by the number of its 

letters, but, if it stand for the 

obedience of faith, mighty 

30 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

enough to break through any 
obstacle, and conquer a host for 
God. It was this little word 
*'go*' that filled every seat at the 
feast. This is the word that sent 
the liberated demoniac back to 
his home to publish the tidings of 
Christ. This is the word that 
scattered the disciples abroad 
after the Saviour's home-going, 
with no ambition save to tell the 
story of redeeming love. The 
church to-day is juggling with 
this word. She is using too much 
license in her interpretation. She 
is not teaching her children to 
spell it aright. God knows we 
are all too willing to have it so. 
Some of us are spelling it, 1-o-o-k. 
We turn our eyes toward the per- 
ishing multitudes, we gaze until 
the tears start, and we cry, 'Tm 
so sorry for them; I wish they 
31 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

might be saved''; but that does 
not save them. Some of us spell 
it, w-r-i-t-e. We sit by our desk 
in a comfortable chair and pen 
beautifully worded invitations, 
and speed them off by special 
messenger; but the lost ones 
press on toward their doom. 
Sometimes we spell it, g-i-v-e. 
We convince ourselves that every 
obligation has been fulfilled when 
we have laid our meager offering 
upon the holy altar. Sometimes 
we spell it, s-e-n-d. We will do 
our part of the work by proxy. 
It is not perfectly convenient for 
us to go, therefore we will send 
another to take our place. Let 
us understand once and for all 
that g-o spells **go/' That is 
what it means — nothing less — and 
it is the word which our Master is 
speaking to His church to-day. 
32 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

It would be possible to press 
the significance of the Christian 
life into two little words. First, 
"come/' The essence of the 
gospel is here. The Bible is full 
of it. Again and again did it fall 
from the lips of Jesus. It is the 
invitation that brings us close 
against the throbbing of His 
heart, where every need is sup- 
plied, every longing satisfied, 
where noble aspirations are 
kindled. But there is another 
word. It follows "come"; is in- 
separably fastened to it. That 
word is **go. '' 

Here is one of the gravest mis- 
takes in the service of the past. 
There has not been enough "go'' 
in our religion. We have been 
sitting in our cushioned pews 
waiting for the people to come* 
We have been providing the best 
33 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

of pulpit oratory, the choicest of 
music, but we have not been will- 
ing to go out into the highways 
and hedges and compel the lost 
to come in. 

Dr. Dixon says the parable of 
the Shepherd is rendered like this 
in the conduct of many a church: 
'*A certain man, when he found 
that some of his sheep were lost, 
built a handsome shelter on the 
edge of the wilderness and over 
the door wrote these words, *Any 
lost sheep straying near this wil- 
derness hard by, if he will pre- 
sent his credentials and give good 
references to the committee in 
charge, will be admitted to shel- 
ter after due deliberation.' " But 
the church will never reach the 
great sinning, sorrowing multi- 
tudes until she is willing to heed 
the **go'' of Christ. 
34 



THC: PASSION FOR SOULS 

The second word in this divine 
command also deserves emphasis, 
*'out/' The intimation is that 
something must be left, and the 
intimation is true. 

We must go out from our preju- 
dice. Too many of us are willing 
to harbor the idea that some of 
these wretches of the highways 
are scarcely worth saving. I bid 
you remember that Jesus died for 
them. He gave His precious 
blood for the vilest and the poor- 
est. While in the flesh He often 
turned away from what we call 
the higher grades in society that 
He might win the outcast to 
Himself. 

We must go out from the flimsy 
thing we sometimes call dignity, I 
believe in dignity. I would 
guard with jealous zeal the honor 
of the church. We should turn 
35 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

with repugnance from anything 
that will dishonor Jesus or leave 
a stain upon His holy gospel. But 
I hate the false thing which is 
afraid to move lest it break some 
rule of etiquette or offend some 
tradition of the fathers. This is 
the dignity of the corpse — the 
dignity of the dry bones which 
Ezekiel beheld in his vision. It 
has no power, no life, no possi- 
bilities. We must go out from it 
if we are to be used in winning 
the lost. It were well for us to 
measure the dignity of man over 
against the dignity of God. It 
was scarcely dignified, according 
to the world's estimate, to be 
lashed by a Roman scourge, or to 
be driven up the hill by an angry 
mob. There was no dignity in 
hanging upon a cross between 
two thieves. Yet these were the 
36 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

most sublime spectacles that 
earth or heaven has ever wit- 
nessed, and Christ was willing to 
endure it all that the lost might 
be saved. It was not entirely 
dignified for Peter and the other 
disciples to go out upon the 
streets of Jerusalem at Pentecost 
with the gospel of grace. Why 
did they not appoint some com- 
mittees to engage a hall, and send 
out invitations to the select in 
Jerusalem? This would have 
been the dignified way to do it. 

Ah, these people were filled 
with the Holy Ghost; the passion 
was in their hearts; tongues of 
fire were in their mouths. They 
were willing to bear the taunts 
and the sneers and the scoffing 
and the scorn if only men might 
be turned from sin unto God. 
No carnal dignity is this, but the 

37 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

dignity of God was in it — the 
dignity of self-sacrifice, the dig- 
nity of heroic devotion, and these 
are what I covet for the church 
to-day. 

We must go out from our incon- 
sistency. We shall have little in- 
clination to obey this call if our 
lives belie our profession, and 
even though we do obey there 
will be no power. God will 
use all sorts of vessels in His 
service, vessels of gold, of silver, 
and of earth; large vessels and 
small vessels; but He will not use 
a vessel that is unclean. 

A woman came to Gypsy Smith, 
the evangelist, after one of his 
meetings and said: *'I want you 
to shake hands with my boy. 
When he grows to manhood I 
want him to be able to say that in 
the days of his youth he shook 
38 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

hands with Gypsy Smith/' She 
went back where her boy was 
standing and sent him up. He 
came with his left hand out- 
stretched, his right hand behind 
him. * 'Anything the matter with 
your other hand?'' asked the 
evangelist. "No, sir," replied 
the lad. **Well, give me your 
right hand; that's the way to 
shake hands with a gentleman." 
The little fellow reluctantly put 
out his other hand, but the fingers 
were tightly closed. ''Anything 
the matter with your fingers?" 
asked Mr. Smith. "No, sir." 
"Then straighten them out; 
that's the way to shake hands 
with a gentleman," It required 
a good deal of coaxing, but at 
last he opened his hand, and 
what do you think he had? Three 
marbles. He would fain have 
39 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

clung to his plaything rather than 
grasp the hand of the man of 
God. How often it is so with us! 
We cling to the stained play- 
things of earth though God in- 
vites us to join hands with Him 
in the sublime task of rescuing a 
sinful world. 

Where are we to go? Into the 
highways and hedges! Wherever 
there are Christless souls. Into 
the hut of poverty, into the haunt 
of sin, into the abode of the out- 
cast. Jesus commissioned His 
disciples to '^preach the gospel to 
every creature*'; and wherever 
there is a creature with a soul to 
save, that is the place for some 
child of God. We are to bear 
witness "unto the uttermost part 
of the earth. '* Where is the 
farthest point from God? Is it 
China, or Japan, or India, or 
40 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

Africa, or the Islands of the Sea? 
Nay, these are as near to His 
throne as the land of the Stars 
and Stripes. The farthest point 
from God is the unregenerate 
heart and this is the sphere for 
our ministry, wherever that heart 
may be. 

Here is a poor fellow by the 
Jericho road. On his way down 
from Jerusalem he fell among 
thieves. They robbed him of his 
gold, stripped him of his raiment 
and left him by the highway half 
dead. The hours drag on. The 
loss of blood and the chill of the 
night have told upon him. He 
will surely die if help does not 
come right speedily. Hark! 
There is a foot-fall. With diffi- 
culty he lifts his head; and lo, a 
man is coming down the road. 
His heart beats the faster, for he 
41 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

recognizes the dress of a priest. 
Here is relief. A servant of God 
is drawing near. But not so fast! 
This man is a priest. His busi- 
ness is to conduct the worship in 
the great temple, to go through 
stately forms and ceremonies. 
Surely he cannot be expected to 
descend into the realm of a poor 
wretch by the wayside. His 
priestly robes might be defiled. 
He passes by on the other side. 
The victim of the thieves is grow- 
ing weaker every moment. Hope 
is almost dead within his breast. 
He hears another sound. It is a 
Levite, also on his way to the 
house of God. He comes near 
enough to get an eyeful of this 
distress, but he does not stop. 
How does he know that this man 
is worthy? He will report the 
matter at Jerusalem, and see that 
42 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

it is investigated. He passes by 
on the other side. 

The priest and the Levite are 
members of our churches to-day. 
Alas, I sometimes fear they have 
been elected to the official board 
and evfn called to the pulpit! 
Let us be honest with ourselves. 
Have not we been looking upon 
the heart-rending visions of need 
which are out in the highways, 
then passing by on the other side? 
There is another foot-fall, and 
the poor fellow once more sum- 
mons his waning strength to look, 
only to sink back in utter despair, 
for it is only a Samaritan riding 
along on his beast. The Jews 
have no dealings with the Samari- 
tans. They are a despised people. 
He can hope for no mercy from 
such a source. But, O marvel of 
kindness! The Samaritan has 
43 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

stopped, has alighted from his 
beast. This is the word that is 
written: **He came where he 
was/* He touched him, bound 
up his wounds, put his arms 
underneath and lifted the help- 
less man to his own place on the 
beast, took him to the inn, then 
made provision for his future 
need. 

O church of the living God! 
Wouldst thou minister to these 
lost ones of the highways? These 
who have fallen among the 
thieves of sin? Who have been 
robbed of virtue and character 
and everything else that gives 
real value to life? Then find thy 
spirit in the breast of the Good 
Samaritan. It is the spirit of 
Jesus. Go where they are^ lay a 
sympathetic heart close against 
their distress. 

44 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

A man fell through the ice into 
the river one bitter cold day. A 
fellow workman came to his as- 
sistance with a plank, one end of 
which was covered with ice. 
The struggling man grasped it 
again and again, but every time 
his hand slipped off. At last he 
cried, '*For God's sake, man, 
give me the other end of the 
plank!'' I fear many of our so- 
called efforts for the salvation 
of men are performed with the 
icy end of a plank. Put out the 
other end. Better still, throw 
the plank away and reach down 
your hand to these struggling 
ones, and by the power of grace 
divine you shall save immortal 
souls from the icy waters of sin. 

There is a precious stone which 
is sometimes called the sympa- 
thetic opal. To see it in a jewel- 
45 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

er's case would be to wonder why 
it was there. Its surface is dull. 
It has no luster, no beauty. 
Take it out and hold it for a 
moment in your hand, and it 
will glisten with all the colors of 
the rainbow. The touch of the 
human hand is required to bring 
out its beauty. Out in the great 
world are dull, lusterless, un- 
lovely lives that are waiting for 
the touch of a human hand and 
the sympathy of a human heart; 
waiting to be brought into fel- 
lowship with Him who can trans- 
form them until they shall shine 
as jewels in His eternal crown. 

There is another word in the 
Master's command which has a 
message for our ears, '^compel.'' 
I like its ring. If the first effort 
fails, try again. If that is unsuc- 
cessful, at it still again. Yet we 
46 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

cannot force men into the gospel 
feast. We cannot bring them in 
against their wills. Ah, there is 
a mightier compelling power than 
physical force; you know its 
name — **love. '' It is possible for 
us to wind about these lost ones 
the gentle cords of love and draw 
them in. 

At the close of an afternoon 
service in one of our western 
cities a woman came to me to 
speak of her wayward boy. It 
was the old story of drink. He 
had allowed the demon to bind 
him until he was a slave. He 
had threatened to go away from 
home, and the mother was afraid 
lest when there was no restraint 
of home and Christian friends to 
hinder he would sink into the 
depths of sin. She asked me to 
talk with him. I went with her 

47 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

to one of the attractive homes in 
that section of the city. She 
introduced me to the young man; 
then left us alone. I said, "Why 
don't you give up this vile thing 
that is destroying your life?'' 
"Give it up?" he answered; 
**God knows I would like to give 
it up. But I am bound body and 
soul. I can't give it up." Then 
I told him of the Christ who 
came to deliver the captive and 
make him free. While we spoke 
together I could hear the sobs of 
the heart-broken mother in the 
adjoining room. In the midst of 
our conversation she came in, and 
falling on her knees before her 
son, looked up into his face and 
said, in a voice that trembled 
with emotion, "My boy, you 
must give it up. If you go on in 
this way I shall die. Tell me, if 
48 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

any sacrifice I can make will 
bring you to Christ, and I will 
make it. But you must come, 
you must come." Then the 
young man began to sob. In a 
moment he was on his knees cry- 
ing for mercy. He laid hold 
upon the Son of God. When the 
opportunity was given in the 
meeting that night he was the 
first man to stand on his feet and 
say, "Christ is mine.'* It was 
not my ministry that won him. 
It was the burning tears and the 
broken sobs of that mother's 
love. He was compelled to 
come. Love would not give him 
up. In the 38th chapter of Isaiah 
it is written, "Thou hast loved 
my soul from the pit of corrup- 
tion.'' Thus is it possible for us 
to woo and win the lost ones of 
the highways by the power of love. 
49 



Cl)e JJafifliion anb tje SfnUiDilmal 



51 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 



III 

THE PASSION AND THE 
INDIVIDUAL 

The matron of the household 
has lost a silver piece. She does 
not sit down to bemoan her loss. 
She does not try to convince her- 
self that somehow, somewhere 
the missing coin will come to 
light. She does not coddle the 
pieces in her purse, well content 
that so many remain. She lights 
her candle, grips her broom, 
sweeps the house and seeks dili- 
gently until at last the candle's 
gleam reveals the coin, and with 
a shout of joy she takes it in her 
hand and speeds off a messenger 
to call her neighbors and friends 
that they, too, may rejoice. 

The interpretation of the famil- 
53 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

iar story is plain. The woman is 
suggestive of the church — the 
bride of Christ. The coin is the 
soul, stamped with the King's 
image, a thing of untold value, 
but it has slipped away and is 
lost amid the dust of sin. The 
lighted candle is the ministry of 
the Holy Ghost, and the joy is a 
hint of that gladness which is *'in 
the presence of the angels of God 
over one sinner that repenteth." 

Let us learn here the worth of 
a single soul. *'If she lose one 
piece.'' A solitary coin was 
worth the most painstaking 
search the woman could make. 
A single soul is worthy the labors, 
the toils, the sacrifices of a life- 
time. 

I fear we have been magnifying 
the value of the crowds. We 
have been trying to save the 
54 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

people en masse. We have been 
losing sight of our supreme duty, 
yours and mine, which is to bring 
Christ to the individual who 
crosses our daily path. 

There is room in the Master's 
scheme for a ministry to the 
multitudes. The early disciples 
were sent out to be ''fishers of 
men/* These words would natu- 
rally take color from their daily 
occupation. They were fishermen. 
Their business was to find the 
feeding ground of the finny tribe; 
then let down their nets, expect- 
ing to take a goodly number of 
fish in a single haul. We are not 
to ignore this plan. Pentecost 
was a throwing out of the gospel 
net, and in a day three thousand 
souls were taken for God. But 
not many of us can wield the net. 
Not many of us can stand before 

55 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

the multitudes. Yet every re- 
deemed one is to be a soul win- 
ner. When we look with greater 
care into the unfolding of our 
mission we learn that the net 
method is the exception rather 
than the rule. Most of our fish- 
ing is to be done by hook and 
line. We are to reach the un- 
saved one by one. 

This was the method of Jesus, 
He recited that beautiful shep- 
herd story to illustrate His mis- 
sion. What was it that drew 
Him away from the comfort of 
the fold? What was it that made 
the Shepherd willing to brave the 
night and face the storm and travel 
the rugged, thorn-lined way? A 
single sheep had wandered away 
— that was all! 

"But none of the ransomed ever knew 
How deep were the waters crossed ; 
56 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

Nor how dark was the night the Lord 
passed through 
Ere He found His sheep that was lost ; 
Out in the desert He heard its cry — 
Sick and helpless and ready to die.*' 

Follow Him through the days 
of His earthly life and see how 
wonderfully He fulfilled the out- 
lines of this picture. There were 
times when He stood before the 
throngs and moved them mightily 
with His words, yet most of His 
work and, I think we will agree, 
the best of His work, was per- 
formed by means of this indi- 
vidual method. Sometimes in 
the midst of the crowd He would 
find a hungry heart, and instantly 
His interest seemed to be lost to 
the multitude. He is hastening 
to the home of Jairus. The 
people are thronging about Him. 
Creeping up behind is a poor 
57 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

hopeless woman, seeking if she 
may but touch the hem of His 
garment. Jesus seems to forget 
all else beside as He pours the 
balm of His love in upon her 
awful need. He often shunned 
the crowd; but He was always 
alert for the opportunity to bring 
His salvation to the individual. 

Nicodemus came to His lodg- 
ings by night. Words of flattery 
were upon his lips. He desired 
to make a good impression. But 
Jesus had no time for such. He 
seemed to say to this troubled 
nobleman: "Nicodemus, there is 
only one matter important enough 
for us to consider. Except a man 
be born again he cannot see the 
kingdom of God.'' 

He was passing through Sa- 
maria, and at the hour of noon 
sat on the well-curb to rest while 
58 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

His disciples went into the city 
to buy food. "To rest/' did I 
say? No, He sat down to wait 
for an opportunity to win a soul. 
When the sinful woman appeared 
with her water-pot, He led her to 
the springs of God and gave her 
drink. 

He halted beside a blind man 
and unlocked the gates of vision 
that He might throw the light of 
His face into the midnight of sin 
and sorrow. 

Wherever He went, whatever 
He did, He was seeking the lone, 
weary sheep that had gone astray, 
listening for the faintest cry of 
need, looking for the slightest 
symptom of distress. Even while 
He hung upon the cross. His 
body tormented with excruciating 
pain, His soul burdened with the 
sins of a guilty world, He had 

59 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

time and strength to reach out 
and pluck a sin-scarred soul for 
Paradise. 

If we call Him Master and 
Lord, by all that is true we are 
bound to make His mission 
ours. 

This was the method of the early 
disciples. Scarcely had the glory- 
light touched Andrew's heart 
when he thought of Peter and 
went out to bring him to Jesus. 
Philip had barely tasted the joy 
of Christ when he began to plan 
for the salvation of Nathaniel. 

After Pentecost, when these 
Spirit-touched lives went forth to 
obey the command of their now- 
departed Lord, it was in this heart 
to heart contact that they sought 
and found the sphere for their 
witnessing. 

See Philip, the evangelist, as 
60 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

he runs along the desert highway! 
Where is he going, and why this 
eager haste? He means to over- 
take that splendid chariot that he 
may preach Jesus to its solitary 
passenger. It is now or never. 
The opportunity will not come 
again. A little while and the mes- 
sage has been spoken, and the sal- 
vation of God has taken lodgings 
with the treasurer of Ethiopia. 

See Ananias as he makes his 
way to the house of Judas in the 
street that is called Straight and 
enquires for one Saul of Tarsus! 
Why has he come? He has heard 
the still small voice bidding him 
carry the truth to one of the hard- 
est hearts of his generation. He 
hesitated a bit. It was so un- 
promising a task. But the voice 
conquered. The messenger 

obeyed. And Saul was soon on 
6i 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

his way to a ministry which is one 
of the marvels of history. 

See the redeemed persecutor as 
with the blood of the scourging 
upon his back he stands before 
the jailer of Philippi. Why does 
he not escape? The doors are 
open. The guards are smitten 
with terror. Ah, the earthquake 
plus the jailer's conscience plus 
the Spirit of God has resulted in 
a splendid opportunity to win a 
soul! And this is worth more to 
Paul than all else beside. The 
light of God breaks through the 
midnight in that dungeon and the 
jailer's household is numbered 
among the Christian homes of 
Philippi. 

This is the story of those early 

days. Here is the secret of their 

marvelous gains. They sought 

not to preach great sermons, to 

62 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

do great deeds. They were wit- 
nesses for Him who died and rose 
again. In His name they spake. 
For His sake they lived. To get 
His evangel into contact with 
human hearts was their supreme 
concern. His service was their 
meat and drink. They stood in 
the presence of magistrates. 
They stopped on the highway. 
They went into the market-place. 
They sat by the fireside, any- 
where, everywhere, if only they 
might find a listening ear and a 
longing heart. Do you wonder 
at the results? 'The Lord added 
to the church daily such as were 
being saved. ^' 

This is the revival method. There 
have been seasons of refreshing in 
the history of the church — times 
when God has bared His arm — 
times when the windows of heaven 
63 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

have been opened; but I venture 
to say there has never been a 
genuine awakening among the 
people of God without emphasis 
upon this truth. There are cer- 
tain things which always charac- 
terize the revival. First, there 
must be a turning away from sin. 
Second, there must be fervent, 
believing prayer. Third, there 
must be faithful witnessing. 
These elements are to be found in 
connection with the Pentecostal 
outpouring. Ten days of humili- 
ation and prayer; then the dis- 
ciples went out upon the streets 
of the city to speak the Saviour's 
message with tongues of fire. 
The same conditions were met in 
those days of power which came 
to England in the time of the 
Wesleys. There were months of 
wailing upon God. Then the 
64 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

anointed heralds went forth to 
proclaim the burning message. 
But there was a host of heralds. 
The rank and file began to speak 
the evangel. In many a com- 
munity the salvation of Christ 
was the one topic of conversation; 
and multitudes pressed into the 
kingdom like doves to their win- 
dows. Thus has it ever been. 
Thus will it ever be. The God 
of power is the same yesterday, 
to-day and forever. 

What would be the result in 
your community, think you, if to- 
morrow morning every redeemed 
soul would begin the day in humil- 
iation and prayer, tarrying in the 
secret place until sin had been 
rooted out, hardness melted, 
until indifference had disappeared 
and the fires of God were glowing 
in the life, and then would go out 
65 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

to witness for Christ to those who 
might cross their path? Men and 
women would say in their hearts, 
**What does it mean?*' They 
would acknowledge that this re- 
ligion at which they had been 
tempted to sneer is a reality 
after all. Ere long that ever-wel- 
come cry would be heard, *'What 
must I do to be saved?*' And 
before the sun had set and the 
shadows of evening fallen, revival 
fires would be burning in your 
midst. 

This is the successful method. 
Go through the churches to-day 
and you will find among their 
membership very few who cannot 
point to some definite human 
ministry as the means of their sal- 
vation. It was the effort of a 
mother, a Sunday School teacher, 
a pastor or some Christian friend. 
66 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

If this has been true, may we not 
believe that it will be true? It is 
not enough to preach the truth to 
the crowd; we must seek out the 
individual and plead with him the 
Saviour*s claims. 

This is the reasonable method. 
Look at the question from what- 
ever side you will, the logical 
result of your salvation is an hon- 
est effort for the rescue of others. 
This ought to follow as surely as 
the morning follows the night 
We are debtors to all whom it is 
possible to reach. Next to the 
obligation to Him who has re- 
deemed us, this is the most sacred 
debt of life. The Master will not 
hold us guiltless if we ignore it. 
The lost one will despise us if we 
fail to meet it. 

Dr. Trumbull speaks of a man 
who went one day to call upon 
67 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

a friend in one of our theo- 
logical seminaries. While he 
waited for the young man he 
sought an opportunity for per- 
sonal work. The janitor came 
through the hall. He never had 
seen him before, that mattered 
not; a word or two of kindly 
greeting opened the conversation, 
then he spoke to him about 
Christ. Before his friend ap- 
peared he had led this janitor into 
the kingdom. Then the man told 
him that though he had worked 
in this institution for years and 
come in daily contact with scores 
of men who were preparing for 
the gospel ministry, no one had 
ever spoken to him before a 
direct word concerning his rela- 
tion to Christ. Oh, the shame of 
it! Lost souls all around us! A 
word of tender interest might win 

68 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

them. God expects us to speak 
that word. Their ears are 
strained to catch it. Alas, alas, 
how seldom is it spoken! 

On the veranda of a hotel in 
one of the summer resorts in 
Switzerland one afternoon sat a 
woman with a glass in her hand. 
It was turned toward the summit 
of the highest mountain peak. She 
was looking at four little black 
specks which stood out against 
the snow. Suddenly the glass 
dropped from her hand and she 
fell to the floor in a dead faint. 
One of the men took up the glass 
and turned it back. The specks 
were men. They were fastened 
together with ropes. A desper- 
ate effort had evidently been 
made to reach the summit, but 
one of the men had slipped, and 
was dragging the others toward 
69 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

the edge of the precipice. While 
he looked the man ahead seemed 
to make a final attempt to get 
a foothold, then the rope broke 
and three of them were hurled 
to their death. The next morn- 
ing the mangled bodies were 
brought in, and toward evening 
the man who had saved himself 
appeared. As he came up the 
steps several people whom he 
numbered among his friends 
turned and walked hurriedly 
away. He went on into the 
hotel, but everybody shunned 
him. He came to a group of 
men in the office and tried to 
engage them in conversation. 
They had not a word to say. At 
last he drew some of them aside 
and said, '*I insist that you tell 
me what is the matter. Have I 
merited your ill will? Why do 
70 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

you treat me so?" After a little 
hesitation one of them said, **If 
you must know, it is simply this. 
When they brought in the dead 
bodies of your comrades this 
morning it was plain that the 
rope had been cut." I leave you 
to judge the man for his deed. 
This is my point. We are bound 
together by the cord of influence. 
No man liveth to himself. The 
welfare of souls is in our keeping. 
If we fail to do our utmost to 
bring them to the cross they may 
be lost. Are we ignoring this 
responsibility? Are we indiffer- 
ent to their welfare? Then what 
is it but cutting the rope? 



71 



Cii« IPacfiion Slnalpieti 



73 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 



IV 

THE PASSION ANALYZED 

There are certain elements 
which enter into this passion as 
we find it in the woman's search. 
The first is determination. Behold 
her as she consecrates her strength 
to the task! There is no indeci- 
sion in her manner, no lethargy in 
her movements. The strength of 
a rock-ribbed purpose is on her 
face. You may see it in the firm- 
ness with which she grasps the 
broom. Many a task is waiting, 
but she will never give her hand 
to another piece of work until the 
missing coin is found. This de- 
termination is lacking in many a 
so - called Christian life. The 
search for souls is a side issue. 
If any time and strength remain 
75 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

after we have filled our coffers 
and gratified our selfish appetites 
we will spend it here. But this 
is a secondary thing. Ah, it was 
not secondary with Christ. He 
was ready to invest His life in it. 
He was willing to be poor and 
homeless and despised and cruci- 
fied in His devotion to the wel- 
fare of the lost. He certainly 
intended that His followers 
should make this the supreme 
consideration. This is the con- 
summate item in His purpose for 
us. **I will bless thee and thou 
shalt be a blessing/' is the pro- 
gram of grace. Is this plain? 
Then away with lethargy! Away 
with half - heartedness! Away 
with everything that hinders, that 
we may bring our lives into the 
consecration that shall cry, *'This 
one thing I do!'' 
76 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

Back in the twenties a young 
man steered his employer's raft 
down the Mississippi River to the 
market of New Orleans. He dis- 
posed of the cargo and with his 
companions went out to see the 
city. At length they wandered 
into the slave market — the place 
where human beings were bought 
and sold. They saw wives sepa- 
rated from their husbands, chil- 
dren literally torn from the arms 
of their parents. The manhood 
within him was stirred. His 
cheek flushed. His eye flashed 
fire. Turning to his companions 
he said, "Boys, if I ever get a 
chance to hit this thing. Til hit it 
hard. So help me God.'' No- 
body paid any heed to this threat. 
The slave-dealers in the city did 
not tremble. Why should they? 
The speaker was a backwoodsman, 
77 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

lank and lean and ungainly in 
appearance. His coat was 
threadbare, his trousers frayed at 
the bottom; and the thing he 
threatened to strike was an insti- 
tution which had planted its seeds 
in the very heart of the Republic. 
But this became the purpose 
of the young man's life. He 
scarcely knew it, it was covered 
for years, yet it was there, down 
below the surface. He thought of 
it, prayed over it, studied con- 
cerning it until one day in the 
White House he wrote beneath 
the Emancipation Proclamation 
those magic words, "Abraham 
Lincoln,'' and the fetters fell 
from the American slaves and the 
American slave market was a 
thing of the past. The power of 
a noble purpose. Such a life will 
not fail to reach its goal. Such a 
78 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

determination is essential to suc- 
cess in seeking souls. 

The second word is persistency. 
This is close of kin to the first. 
Persistency is determination in 
action. It is not enough to 
choose a goal and fix our eyes 
upon it. We must run if we 
would win the prize. Number- 
less foes will seek to block our 
path, but the word for our lips is 
that which Paul uttered when 
hardship rose before him: **None 
of these things move me; neither 
count I my life dear unto myself, 
that I might finish my course with 
joy and the ministry which I have 
received of the Lord Jesus, to 
testify the gospel of the grace of 
God.'' We are too easily moved 
from our purpose. We loiter too 
much by the way. Our zeal lacks 
the attribute of steadfastness. 
79 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

The successful salesman is the 
one who will not let his pro- 
spective customer go. He does 
not nag him. He is careful not 
to make himself a nuisance. If 
the first appeal fails he ap- 
proaches him from another side. 
If again his effort miscarries he 
knocks at yet another door. A 
commercial friend of mine was 
almost insulted by a merchant in 
one of our cities not long ago 
when he tried to sell his wares. 
What did he do? Cross his name 
off the list? Certainly not. The 
next time he visited the city he 
called. The ice had melted a bit, 
but no sale. The third time he 
called again. The merchant was 
courteous, but no sale. At the next 
visit he sold him a bill of goods. 
The merchant has been one of his 
best customers ever since. That 
80 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

is the way we do business for our- 
selves, but it isn't the way we 
serve our Lord. Some stirring 
message arouses us and we say: 
*'Yes, I ought to do something for 
Christ, ril try. But where shall 
I begin? Well, there's John. He 
seems easy. Til begin with John. ' ' 
We screw up our courage to the 
sticking point; speak a faltering 
word; find no response; then we 
sit down discouraged and say: 
"It's no use. I never could win 
a soul." Why, friend, you never 
could win anything with such a 
spirit. Put that lack of zeal into 
your daily work, and your em- 
ployer will find another man 
within a week. I plead for more 
persistency, an earnestness that 
does not know how to give up. 
Select your individual. Study 
his disposition. Ask God to 
8i 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

show you the way to the citadel 
of his heart. Then concentrate 
your powers upon the endeavor 
to conquer that heart for 
Christ. 

You may be sure the woman in 
the parable did not find the miss- 
ing coin without continuous and 
steadfast effort. Perhaps at first 
she thought it a simple task. 
She pushed her broom here and 
there. She pulled out certain 
articles of furniture. But the 
silver-piece was still missing. 
Will she give up the search? 
Nay, every failure tightens her 
determination until, finally, I see 
her on her hands and knees. She 
thrusts the broom into every cor- 
ner and, at last, she finds it. 
This is the sort of service to 
which the Word of Truth exhorts 
us when it says, '*Be ye stead- 
82 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

fast, unmovable, always abound- 
ing in the work of the Lord, 
forasmuch as ye know that your 
labor is not in vain in the 
Lord." 

There is another word in the 
analysis of this passion, depend- 
ence. The woman was not suffi- 
cient for the task in herself. She 
depended upon the broom. Here 
is the human side of our equip- 
ment. We are to use every force 
within our reach as an instrument 
of salvation. When those four 
men, intent upon the healing of 
their paralytic friend, came to the 
house where Jesus was preaching 
and found it so crowded that they 
could not get near the door, we 
are told ''they sought means to 
bring him in.'' Here is a sign- 
board which points toward suc- 
cess. We are to seek means by 
83 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

which to get the lost one into fel- 
lowship with Christ. 

A friend of mine had an un- 
saved boy away at school. She 
would occasionally prepare pack- 
ages of delicacies, making them 
fragrant with the savor of home. 
Then out of the tenderness of her 
mother heart she would write to 
him the message of God. She 
sought means to bring him in. 
Kindness has ever been a power- 
ful instrument in the work of 
rescue. It gets into the heart 
where Christ belongs and makes 
way for Him. 

In the city of Philadelphia a 
woman became deeply interested 
in the girls who were employed 
in one of the stores. She deter- 
mined to win them for Christ. She 
did not go to them in cold blood 
with the religious appeal. She 
84 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

spoke to them kindly at the 
counters. She learned their 
names and stopped for a little 
chat now and then as she passed. 
She invited them to her home for 
luncheon on Sunday evening, 
then took them to hear her pastor 
preach. In a short time a dozen 
of these girls had yielded to 
Christ and entered into fellowship 
with His church. God uses all 
sorts ojE instruments. He expects 
His helpers to do the same. It is 
not the haphazard effort that 
succeeds, but rather the carefully- 
planned, wisely - executed en- 
deavor; the effort that uses the 
means which are within our 
reach. 

But the greater dependence of 

the woman was upon the candle's 

light. Apart from this even the 

broom would have been without 

85 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

avail. The darkness was a sure 
hiding-place for the coin. So 
long as it remained, the search 
must fail. The gleams from the 
candle in her hand pierced the 
gloom, and the silver-piece was 
found. 

God forbid that we should ever 
venture upon a mission of salva- 
tion without the enabling of the 
Holy Ghost. He is the light. 
None other can penetrate the 
darkness of sin. Without Him 
the most promising means will be 
futile. Without Him the most 
complete equipment must come to 
nought. The history of many a 
failure is here. The church is on 
her hands and knees. She has 
grasped the broom. She reaches 
out in this direction and that; 
but there is no light no success. 
"Not by might, nor by power, but 
86 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

by my Spirit, saith the Lord of 
Hosts/' "Ye shall receive power 
after that the Holy Ghost has 
come upon you, and ye shall be 
witnesses unto me '' 



S7 



Ci)e IJaeeton STUnstrateii 



89 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 



THE 
PASSION ILLUSTRATED 

We know little of Philip the 
evangelist. His name is men- 
tioned but a few times in the 
Testament. The record of his 
service is in a single chapter. 
But this is enough to give us a 
glimpse of his heart, with its mo- 
tives and ambitions; enough to 
make us long to possess his spirit, 
for it marks him as one of the 
noblemen in the kingdom of God. 

Perhaps there is no incident in 
the scriptures that is richer in its 
suggestions for the soul-winner 
than that which tells us of his re- 
lations with the eunuch. It is an 
illustration of the methods of the 
passion as it seeks to win a soul. 
91 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

There are three striking pictures 
in this story. 

First, we see God interesting 
Himself in the rescue of a lost 
soul. He knew all about this 
man in the chariot, knew his 
name, knew his country, knew 
the purpose of his journey to 
Jerusalem, knew the yearnings of 
his heart, knew exactly the mo- 
ment when he would come to a 
certain point in that desert road, 
and He plans that His servant, 
who has been working in Samaria, 
shall come down so as to reach 
this place at just the right time — 
and the purpose of it is that a sin- 
sick soul may be pointed to the 
Lamb of God. 

Ah, the Father in heaven 

knows the souls that are traveling 

on the desert road to-day. He 

loves them. He is concerned for 

92 



THE PASSION FOIR SOULS 

their welfare. Can you doubt it 
when you read, * 'Long-suffering 
to usward, not willing that any 
should perish, but that all should 
come to repentance'? 

More than this, there is a sense 
in which He plans that these lost 
ones may be saved. He knew 
that friend would come into your 
office while you were enjoying a 
moment of leisure. He sent that 
neighbor to your home last week, 
then whispered in your ear, 
'Toint her to Christ." He di- 
rected you to sit by the side of 
that business associate the other 
day. We 'marvel at what we call 
strange combinations of circum- 
stances, but the fact is, there are 
no happenings in this world; be- 
low the surface are the plans of 
God for the salvation of men. 

Up in Caesarea is a man whom 
93 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

God would save. He prepares 
his heart for the truth, then bids 
him send to Joppa for one Simon, 
whose surname is Peter; He goes 
before to prepare Peter for the 
coming of the messengers. They 
find the apostle in prayer upon 
the house-top. He listens to 
their story, goes with them to 
their home and in a little while 
Cornelius and his kinsmen are in 
the fold of grace. 

Here is the secret of success in 
work for souls: to find out the 
will of God, and do it. 

This brings us to the second 
spectacle which the incident con- 
tains, namely, a humble^ ear- 
nest disciple executing the divine 
plan, 

Philip was in fellowship with 
God. He was alert for the faint- 
est whispering from above. 

.04 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

When God spake he heard. 
Some one has said, **The Spirit 
never uses one who is out of com- 
munion/* The ambassador at 
the foreign court must keep him- 
self in touch with the government 
at home. This is vital. He is 
not there to do his own pleasure. 
He is there to represent his na- 
tion, to fulfill the plans and pur- 
poses of his sovereign across the 
sea. We are ambassadors for 
Christ. We are to do His bid- 
ding upon the earth, and we shall 
fail except we keep ourselves in 
closest touch with Him. 

Philip was in fellowship with 
God. The directions were per- 
fectly plain. While he toiled in 
Samaria the divine voice said, 
"Arise and go toward the south, 
into the way that goeth down 
from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is 
95 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

desert.'* The direction is told, 
the very road that he shall take is 
mentioned, and, as though even 
yet there might be the possibility 
of mistake, the voice adds, **It is 
a desert road." When he beheld 
the chariot the Spirit whispered, 
**Go near and join thyself." His 
course was perfectly clear, and I 
do not imagine God spake in any 
unusual way. He will direct us 
as plainly to-day if we are listen- 
ing for His voice. 

Mr. Bilhorn, the gospel singer, 
told me of an experience which 
came to pass in Reedsburg, Wis- 
consin, some years ago. He was 
conducting meetings. One night 
he was awakened at the midnight 
hour. Something told him to go 
out upon the street. It was as 
though he heard a voice. He 
arose, took his folding organ and 
96 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

started. The people in the house 
counted it strange that he should 
go forth at such an hour. He 
said, **I suppose they thought I 
was losing my mind, but I was 
confident that God had spoken/' 
It was a bitter cold night. He 
walked several blocks without 
meeting a person, without seeing 
so much as a light in one of the 
homes. He began to wonder if 
after all he had been moved by 
some silly delusion. He turned 
up another street, and over the 
road, coming through the shutters 
of a low basement-like place, he 
saw the glimmer of a light. He 
knocked at the door. There was 
no response at first. He knocked 
again. At length the door 
opened and in a room at the rear 
he found eighteen men sitting 
around the gambling table. Then 
97 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

he knew why God had disturbed 
his sleep. Opening his organ he 
said, "Boys, let me sing for you/' 
He sang, "Where is my wander- 
ing boy to-night?'* After the first 
verse the tears had started. On 
the second verse, the singer broke 
down and, falling upon his knees, 
he began to pray for these men. 
Before he left Reedsburg sixteen 
of them had confessed faith in 
Christ. You say, 'This is alto- 
gether unusual. God never speaks 
to me like that. I am never con- 
fident of His leadings.*' Perhaps 
I can tell you the reason. You 
have failed to heed His voice in 
the past. If you were to set youf 
alarm for five o'clock to-morrow 
morning, and pay no attention when 
it tells you it is time to get up, the 
following day you will not hear 
it so distinctly, and within a 
98 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

week, if you refuse to heed its 
message, the chances are you 
will sleep on undisturbed by its 
call. 

There is a place back up the 
road where you heard God speak. 
He bade you carry His love to 
some wretched heart. You fal- 
tered. You failed. The next 
time the voice was fainter, then 
fainter still, until to-day you do 
not hear it at all. 

The obedience of Philip was 
prompt and complete. He had 
been toiling with great success in 
the city of Samaria. Revival 
fires were burning. The gospel 
message had laid hold upon many 
a life, and we read '* there was 
great joy in that city." From 
this work of grace he had gone 
out through the villages of the 
Samaritans to behold, we may 
99 

L.ofC. 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

believe, a repetition of these days 
of power. Suddenly God inter- 
rupted him, saying: 'Thilip, I 
want you to go into the desert/* 
It was a strange command. Here 
he was in the midst of a large 
harvest. Crowds of people wait- 
ing upon his message, scores of 
conversions, and God tells him to 
leave it all and start for the wil- 
derness. What can there be for 
him to do out there away from 
the dwellings of men? And, pray 
tell, who will take his place here 
in Samaria? Thus most of us 
would have dallied and doubted. 
But there was not a question on 
Philip's lips, nor a murmur in his 
heart. "He arose and went.'' 
He was willing to serve God in 
the desert or the city, anywhere 
if only he might know the will di- 
vine. We are not ready to serve 

lOO 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

Him at all unless this is our atti- 
tude. The only place for you or 
me is the place God has chosen 
for us. This is the place to 
which He plans to send our sup- 
plies of grace. If we are not 
there» these will not reach us. 

At a Bible conference in which 
I was taking part some time ago 
a young pastor gave this testi- 
mony, **I used to wonder why my 
ministry was void of power. I 
prayed that God would use me, 
but all my efforts were like beat- 
ing the air. Showers of blessings 
fell around me, but they did not 
come my way. After a while He 
told me the reason. In my heart 
was a fear lest I might be obliged 
to go to the foreign field. Some 
of my friends had gone. I was not 
willing to go. But I came to the 
point where I could say, 'O God, 

lOI 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

send me to the heart of Africa, 
if that be Thy will/ The cloud 
hasn't moved yet toward the re- 
gions beyond, but the very win- 
dows of heaven have been opened 
upon the little portion of the field 
where He calls me to labor." 

And we must take heed not to 
run ahead of the Master's will. I 
related the above incident in 
Boston recently. At the close of 
the service a young woman came 
to tell me that her experience was 
exactly the reverse of this. She 
said, ''It had been the dream of 
my life that I might become a 
foreign missionary. I prepared 
myself for this work, then waited 
for the call, but it did not come. 
While I waited my hands were 
idle. Then God made it plain 
that there were splendid oppor- 
tunities for service close at hand. 

102 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

He sent me down into the slums 
of this city with His gospel, and in 
this humble service I have found 
such a joy as earth cannot give/' 

* ' It may not be on the mountain's height, 

Or over the stormy sea ; 
It may not be at the battle's front 

My Lord will have need of me ; 
But if by a still small Voice He calls 

To paths that I do not know, 
1*11 answer, dear Lord, with my hand in 
thine, 

* I'll go where you want me to go.' " 

When he came to the desert 
road the Spirit said, **Go near 
and join thyself to that chariot/* 
I fancy most of us would have 
answered, "Why, yes, Lord, per- 
haps it will be a good thing to 
walk over that way and see what 
sort of a chap this man in the 
chariot seems to be." As we 
sauntered along we would rack 
103 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

our brain for some excuse to turn 
aside. Not so Philip's response. 
'*He ran thither.'' His only fear 
that he might not reach the place 
in time. Such obedience is 
sublime. The soul that is quick 
to hear and eager to obey the 
voice of God will be no stranger 
to power. But apart from this it 
will be an unknown experience. 
Obedience is the supreme condi- 
tion of power. It is written, 'The 
Holy Ghost whom God hath 
given to them that obey him." 

And it is a serious matter to dis- 
obey when the still small voice 
sends you to some lost soul. You 
may be sure He is preparing that 
one for the message. It is a criti- 
cal time. Philip knew nothing of 
the eunuch's condition. Had he 
been governed by outward circum- 
stances he would have given this 
104 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

chariot a wide berth. But God 
had been preparing this man for 
His salvation. He was doubtless 
a Jewish proselyte. He had 
come from his far-away home 
that he might worship in the tem- 
ple. He had secured a scroll of 
the prophets and was reading 
from Isaiah. He was groping in 
the darkness, longing for the light. 
What a calamity if Philip had 
failed! This is often God^s way. 
He prepares the most unlikely 
hearts; then sends one of His 
servants with the torch of truth. 
There came to my mind one 
day an impression that I should 
go to a certain man with the 
Word of Life. He was a most 
unpromising case. Others had 
labored with him in vain. I tried 
to reason the impression away, 
but it would not go. I said, 
105 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

**Lord, you know how full this 
week is. There is only one even- 
ing in which it would be possible 
for me to see him, and the 
chances are he would not be at 
home.'' Thus I tried to escape 
the plain, clear call of God. 
Shame on us that we are so slow 
to do His bidding! I went re- 
luctantly to the man's home. He 
responded to my ring, ushered me 
into the reception-room, and 
closed the door. Without delay 
I told him of my interest in his 
spiritual welfare and asked him to 
accept Christ. **I will,'* was the 
prompt reply. He was waiting 
for my invitation. God had pre- 
pared his heart. We knelt to- 
gether, and a soul was born into 
the fold of grace. O friend, be 
quick to obey when God speaks! 
He has made ready the soul to 
1 06 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

whom He sends. It may be now 
or never. To fail would be a 
fearful thing. 

It were well for us to notice 
Philip^s message. He sat down 
beside this man in the chariot. 
He * 'began at the same scripture 
and preached unto him Jesus.'' 
This is the glad evangel that God 
has laid upon your lips and mine. 
He expects us to preach Jesus. 
Not philosophy; that cannot save 
a soul. Not science; that may 
not touch the need of an immortal 
heart. Not morality; this cannot 
satisfy those deeper cravings 
which throb within the sons of 
men. Not theology; even that 
win not suffice. But Jesus^ — 

'* Sweetest note in seraph song 
Sweetest name on mortal tongue ; 
Sweetest carol ever sung:-- 
Jesus, blessed Jesus.** 
107 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

I fear this is where some of us 
have erred. We have preached 
sin and desolation and despair. 
Sometimes the word was tinged 
with selfishness or even anger. 
But have you ever gone to your 
dear one and, dipping every word 
in the tenderness of your heart, 
preached Jesus? Have you ever 
called your employee into the 
private office and told him of this 
One who can satisfy and help? 

And now the third picture: a 
rejoicing souL This is the sum of 
the other two. Here is the sim- 
ple problem of the world's evangel- 
ization. An interested God plus 
a willing, obedient servant equals 
a rejoicing soul. Why should not 
the eunuch rejoice? That burden 
against which he had struggled for 
many a weary day was gone. That 
peace for which he had been seek- 
io8 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

ing with all the intensity of his na- 
ture had come to abide in his 
breast. He had found a Saviour. 
The hallelujahs were loosed, and 
through the chambers of his 
being rang the blessed strains of 
that new song which the Re- 
deemer gives to those who trust 
Him, ''even praise unto our God.'' 

There is no work within the 
power of man to be compared 
with this. Think of it! A soul 
saved from death and turned 
toward those marvelous unfold- 
ings which find their fulfillment 
in God's eternity. 

During my pastorate in Brook- 
lyn I had in my church Mr. 
George B. Buzelle, a man for 
whom I shall never cease to be 
thankful. He had charge of the 
Bureau of Charities in the city. 
Never have I known one who 
109 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

gave himself more completely to 
the work to which he was called. 
By day and by night he labored 
to bring to the poor in the great 
city not only the food which 
would minister to their physical 
need, but also the bread which 
satisfies the hungering of the 
soul. At length, under the strain 
of his work, health gave way. 
Just a few days of sickness and 
one morning a messenger came 
to my home to say, "Mr. Buzelle 
isdying.^' I entered that cham- 
ber just as the spirit took its 
flight. It seemed to me I could 
hear the Master's plaudit, ''Well 
done, good and faithful servant!'' 
I shall never forget the funeral 
service. Several of the pastors 
in the city were there to pay their 
tribute of love. Many business 
men from New York and Brook- 
no 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

lyn had come to show their ad- 
miration for one of God's noble- 
men. Scores of the poor were 
there to sorrow over one of the 
sorest losses they had ever known. 
At the close of the service a 
young man was standing at the 
side of the pulpit. He seemed 
almost overcome with grief. I 
went to his side, hoping I might 
be able to speak a word of com- 
fort. I said, '* We've lost a 
friend, haven't we?'' There was 
a fresh outburst of grief, then be- 
tween his sobs he said, **He was 
the best friend I ever had; he led 
me to Christ." This is my 
prayer, dear reader, for myself 
and for you: '*0 God, whatever 
else men may say of us when we 
are gone, let some one say this, 
*He was my best friend. He led 
me to Christ.' " 

III 



l&tiittUns tit pati^tott 



"3 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

VI 

KINDLING THE PASSION 

But the most important ques- 
tion for us is, Where shall we find 
this passion? If we are here to 
witness for Christ; if we have 
been redeemed that we may have 
part in the great work of re- 
demption; then we desire to know 
how we may secure this mighty 
zeal which shall not falter at any 
obstacle, nor shrink from any sac- 
rifice that it may conquer hearts 
for God. 

The first kindlings of it are in 
the presence of the passion of 
Christ Here the price of our re- 
demption was paid. Here we 
find the remedy for sin. Here 
we are born from above. But the 
sufferings and death of Jesus have 
115 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

a larger mission. They give us a 
glimpse of the marvelous love 
that throbs in the heart of hearts. 
They lay bare the secret springs 
of infinite compassion. They 
teach us the meaning of sacrifice. 

I saw zealous pilgrims in Rome 
climbing the Sancta Scala. One 
by one they made their way up 
the long stairway upon their 
knees. Every step was taken in 
pain; but on they went, lest they 
miss the blessing which they be- 
lieved waited for them at the top. 
We need to climb out from the 
shades of Gethsemane up the 
slope of the little hill beyond the 
city gate, upon our knees. 

See Him under those gnarled 
olive trees. The darkness is 
black; but the night that is wrap- 
ping its folds about His soul is 
blacker. He is upon His face. 
ii6 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

Every fiber of His humanity is 
shrinking from the bitter cup that 
is lifted to His lips. The fiends 
of perdition are seeking to turn 
Him away from the cross. As 
He struggles on, sweat-drops of 
blood stand upon His brow; but 
light breaks through those shad- 
ows of gloom. The victory is 
won. Follow Him on through 
that weary night. Hear the words 
of insult from the lips of those 
who should have been His 
friends. See the hatred upon the 
faces of the rulers of His peo- 
ple. Look! His back is bended 
to receive the cruel blows of the 
scourge. Now the verdict has 
been spoken and they drag Him 
out through the streets of the holy 
city as they might have led a bul- 
lock to the slaughter, and through 
it all not a murmur from His lips! 
117 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

Look again! They are spiking 
His body to the cross. You can 
hear the ringing blows as the 
hammer strikes the nails. Now 
He is fast. They rudely lift the 
cross and drop its upright into the 
hole which has been dug. It falls 
with a thud, and the blood spurts 
afresh from His wounds. The 
moments pass on. His agony is 
inexpressible, yet amid it all He 
has strength for words of love and 
pardon and hope. And these 
physical pangs are only the sug- 
gestion of what He is bearing. 
The sins of a guilty world are 
upon Him. He is tasting the 
wrath of God. At last, under the 
strain of that awful load, His 
heart-strings snap, He bows His 
head and dies. O child of 
God, can you look without tears? 
Can you stand in the presence of 
ii8 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

such love with coldness in your 
heart, and indifference in your 
life? 

I shall never forget the impres- 
sion made upon my heart by Ru- 
ben's famous picture of the Cruci- 
fixion which hangs in the Royal 
Gallery at Antwerp. While I 
stood before it everything else 
faded from my vision. There are 
many figures in the painting, but 
I saw only the loving, grief- 
scarred face upon that middle 
cross. My companions passed 
on, I was riveted to the spot. 
And when at length some one re- 
minded me that the moments were 
slipping by, and I went on to 
view some of the other pictures in 
those celebrated corridors, it was 
to have everything else blurred 
with the vision of that matchless 
face. In a little while I was back 
119 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

upon Golgotha, bathing once more 
in my Saviour's love. 

Your place and mine is close 
against the bleeding side, the 
broken heart of the Son of God. 

But we are not there alone for 
refuge. We are there to find a 
worthy conception of life, and a 
motive power which will impel us 
and compel us. Here is the 
meaning of the cross, **The love 
of Christ constraineth us; because 
we thus judge, that if one died 
for all, then all died; and that he 
died for all, that they which live 
should not henceforth live unto 
themselves but unto him which 
died for them and rose again.'* 
Let this love possess your heart, 
the love that was willing to give 
its all; and to tell His message 
abroad, to help others into the 
knowledge of His salvation will 
1 20 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

become the passion of your 
life. 

The second contribution to this 
zeal for souls is made by the 
Word of God. We must have 
some realization of what it means 
to be without Christ, and this 
desolation is pictured upon the 
pages of the Book, We need to 
meditate upon these startling 
words. We need to look with 
reverent gaze upon these pictures 
of distress. 

The first touch is, "dead in 
trespasses and sins/* Life is the 
fundamental blessing. It under- 
lies every other good. In the 
deepest sense the Christless soul 
is dead. Wretched condition! 
We shrink from death. We 
loathe it. We weep over it. 
Yet this is only the death of the 
body. Where shall we find tears 

1 X2I 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

bitter enough to shed over the 
soul that is dead in the sight of 
heaven? 

A number of years ago, when 
my home was on the bank of the 
Hudson River, I sat one Monday 
morning in my study. Suddenly 
the door-bell rang with that 
sharp, quick sound which calls 
for immediate response. I opened 
the door. There was a woman, a 
member of my church. Her face 
was pale as death. She was 
trembling from head to foot. 
She told me they had taken the 
body of a boy out of the river 
just across the road from my 
home. I hastened to the place. 
There was the little form upon 
the grass. No effort was being 
made to save him. I took the 
body in my hands, and with the 
help of those who stood by tried 

122 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

to encourage respiration. My 
fingers became numb. It seemed 
to me I must let go. But I dared 
not, for perhaps something I 
might do would help to save the 
precious life. After a while the 
doctor came to give his skill to 
the task, and just behind him was 
the father of the boy. I shall 
never forget how he cried, **0 
doctor! for God's sake can't you 
save him?'' But it was too late. 
The spark of life was gone. They 
told me I must bear these tidings 
of death to the mother of the 
boy. I never have had a task 
from which I shrank the more. As 
I walked up the street I wondered 
what I could say to make the bur- 
den of grief easier to bear. God 
spared me the pain of making the 
first announcement of her sorrow. 
But oh, that bitterness of heart! 
123 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

I can see her now as she wrung 
her hands and sobbed, "My boy 
is dead! My boy is dead!*' We do 
not condemn the mother for her 
grief, nor do we think it strange 
that the father's heart should be 
broken. But here is something 
that is strange, — you and I come in 
contact day after day with souls 
that are dead in trespasses and 
sins and we make no effort to 
bring them into fellowship 
with Him who can speak the 
word of life. 

Another touch in the picture of 
the Christless soul is, **lost." 
The only way by which we may 
get any adequate conception of 
the spiritual meaning of this word 
is to start with the distress for 
which it stands in the world's 
life. I never have seen a city so 
completely stirred from center to 
124 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

circumference as the city of Al- 
bany was stirred by this word a 
few years ago. It was on every 
lip. We read it in startling let- 
ters at the head of the newspaper 
column. Mothers spoke it with 
trembling lips as they held their 
little ones closer to their breast. 
Fathers tried to grasp its meaning 
as they thought of a fellow-man 
whose heart was breaking. A child 
had disappeared from his home. 
Hundreds of men were ready to join 
in the search. They scoured the 
hills and woods. Detectives fol- 
lowed every possible clue. Large 
sums of money were offered in 
reward. When at last the lad 
was rescued from the hands of 
those who had led him away, 
there was scarcely a heart that 
did not utter a note of praise. 
The Book tells us every one 
125 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

who has failed to make choice 
of Christ is lost. Lost to God; 
lost to holiness; lost to heaven; 
and we are unmoved. Surely it 
must be because we have no real- 
ization of this awful distress. 

Have you ever dwelt upon 
those words from the lips of the 
most compassionate Man that 
ever walked the earth, '*If thy 
hand or thy foot offend thee, cut 
them off and cast them from thee: 
it is better for thee to enter into 
life halt or maimed rather than 
having two hands or two feet to be 
cast into everlasting fire''? 

Why should we try to cover up 
these words in the Book of Truth? 
Why should we blind ourselves to 
the danger of the Christless soul? 

Does the mother stand beside 
the sick-bed of her child when 
some dread disease is making bat- 
126 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

tie for the precious life, and try to 
convince herself there is no 
danger? 

Does the fireman look upon the 
burning structure on whose upper 
floors human lives are imprisoned, 
and try to banish concern from 
his mind? Nay, the mother ran- 
sacks her brain if only she may 
light on something more that 
may be done to drive back the 
monster who seeks to tear the 
loved one from her arms. The 
fireman forgets everything else, 
and at risk of life and limb 
hastens to the rescue. 

But the danger here is infinitely 
greater, and many of us are 
asleep. Oh, to meditate upon 
these things until our souls are 
stirred! 

It was a realization of the con- 
dition of the lost that kindled the 
127 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

passion in William Carey's breast. 
He sat on his cobbler bench day 
after day, a Bible on one side, a 
map of the world on the other. 
He would look at the picture of 
the lost one's desolation which is 
painted in the Book; then he 
would fix his eyes upon the map 
and call to mind the millions 
who had never heard the Saviour's 
name. He could not get away 
from this vision. It was with 
him by day. It haunted him in 
the dreams of the night. What- 
ever he did, wherever he went, he 
saw these myriads of Christless 
souls and heard the cry of their 
need. At last, with the passion 
in his heart, he cut loose from 
home and friends that he might 
give his life to this work of salva- 
tion. 
Another contribution to this 
128 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

passion is made by the spirit of 
prayer. The blessing of prayer 
is not to be found alone in the 
answer which it brings from the 
throne of God, but as well in its 
effect upon our own spiritual life. 
It is a tonic. Prayer renews and 
revives the heart from which it 
comes. Apart from it the pas- 
sion for souls cannot live. The 
influence of the world will tend to 
smother these fires of zeal. Satan 
will do his utmost to hold them in 
check, but, waiting in the Father's 
presence, they shall be fanned into 
strength and made to burn the 
brighter as the days go by. 

The noble souls whose names 
are written among the soul-win- 
ners of the centuries without ex- 
ception have saturated their lives 
with prayer. 

There were times in Brainerd's 
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THE PASSION rOR SOULS 

career when he would go out in 
the snowy woods in the dead of 
winter, and, throwing himself 
upon his knees, cry unto God 
until great drops of perspiration 
ran down his face; then with 
heart aflame he would go to the 
redskins with the message of love, 
and scores would flock about the 
cross of Christ. 

Finney was a man of prayer. 
He would often go aside to spend 
hours with God. At times he 
slept in the barn that he might 
have perfect freedom in pleading 
for the lost. As a result, his 
presence was sometimes so 
charged with the power of heaven 
that people who came in contact 
with him, though he spake not a 
word, were convicted of sin and 
led to cry, "What must I do?" 

John Knox rose up in the mid- 
130 « 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

night hours to cry, from a heart 
that was breaking with desire to 
obtain its petition, **0 God, give 
me Scotland or I die!'' And 
Scotland surrendered under the 
power of the passion which liter- 
ally consumed his life. 

To tarry in the secret place is 
to hold fellowship with the great 
heart that yearns in matchless 
pity over the lost, and to drink 
deeply of this compassion is to be 
possessed with the passion for 
souls. 

But there is yet another item 
to be mentioned. It is the su- 
preme contribution to this pas- 
sion of which I speak — the power 
of the Holy Ghost, He is the. 
active agent in every new birth. 
To attempt to work up a zeal for 
soul-winning without Him is to 
endeavor to make steam without 
131 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

fire. The glowing fires of love 
are kindled at Calvary, but they 
are lighted by the Holy Ghost. 
The flame is fed by the Word of 
God, but He is the author of the 
Book, and only He can make its 
meaning plain. The atmosphere 
of God's throne is needed to fan 
the fire; but the Spirit alone will 
teach us to pray. *'We know not 
what we should pray for as we 
ought; but the Spirit himself 
maketh intercession for us with 
groanings which cannot be ut- 
tered.'' 

The disciples did not leave the 
upper room for the streets of the 
city until the Holy Ghost had 
come upon them. Then they 
went because they could no 
longer stay. The passion was 
in their hearts. They must go. 
They must speak. So fervently 
132 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

did they bear witness for Christ 
that the people said, "These 
men are drunken with wine/' but 
it was not the intoxication of 
drink; it was the burning zeal of 
the Holy Ghost. 

This is the supreme need of 
our day. I had almost said it is 
the sum of all our need — the full- 
ness, the power of the Holy 
Ghost. 

John Robertson, the Scotch 
preacher, has spoken of a village 
in his native land where years 
ago one morning, by a strange 
coincidence, the fires on every 
hearth had gone out. It was 
before the days of matches. The 
only way to rekindle the fire was 
to find some hearth that was yet 
aglow. From one house to an- 
other they went, but not a spark 

could they find, until at last they 
133 



THE PASSION FOR SOULS 

came to a house away up on the 
hill. There the fire was burning. 
One after another these Scotch- 
men came to those living coals 
and lighted their peat, put it 
carefully in the pan, shielding it 
from the wind, lest it be extin- 
guished, and the fires were soon 
burning again. 

Are the fires getting low in 
your heart? Has the chill of 
worldliness settled down upon 
you? God has plenty of fire on 
the hill. Climb up into His 
presence through the path of sur- 
render, and be will take the live 
coal from the altar and lay it 
upon your heart and upon your 
lips. This is the fullness of the 
Holy Ghost. This is the passion 
for souls. 



134 



JUL 8 1904 



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